Rail anchor



s sheetslsheet 1 ,May w23?.

C.F.YARDLEY RAIL ANCHOR Filed July 8, 1921 www May s, 1923. 1,454,366

C. F. YARDLEY 4 RAIL ANCHOR Filed July 8. 1921 s sheets-sheet 2 the rail during the Patented llfllay 8, 1223.

nur stairs CHARLES F. YARDLEY, or Lancom, NEW Yo RAIL ANCHOR.

Application led July 8, 1921;

To all 'whom it my concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. YARDLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Larchmont, in the county of Westchester and State vof New York, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Rail Anchors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail anchor devices, and has for its principal object the prov1sion of a new and improved one-piece rail anchor device which may be easily applied to or removed from a rail, which will maintain itsinitial grip on the rail by spring pressure and which will increase its grip on presence of a creeping pressure on the rail.

A more specific object ofthe invention is to provide certain improvements in the type of rail anchor described and claimed in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,201,415, dated October 17, 1916.

The invention consists in the provision of a new and improved anchor constructed vas hereinafter described 'and claimed for carrying out t-he above stated objects, and such ot er objects as will appear from the following description.

The invention is illustrated in certain preferred embodiments in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a rail anchor con structed in accordance with my invention, the device being shown in its operative position in full lines and in its partiallyapplied position in dot and dash lines.

- Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the anchor device shown in Fig. 1, the base -lange of the rail being shown in cross-section;

Fig. 3 illustrates the blank from which the anchor device shown in Figs. land 2v is formed;

F ig. 4 is a view in perspective of a modied form of device.

Fig. 5 is a view similar` to Fig. 2,v showing the modified form of anchor ap lied to a rail, the base flange of the rail being shown in cross section.

Fig. 6 is a view of one end of the blank from which the modified form of anchor, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is formed.

Fig. 't' is a plan view of another modification; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Serial No. 483,179.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings. Referring first to Figs. 1 to'. 3, inclusive, of the drawings, wherein I have shown one embodiment of my invention, made preferably oo from a flat metal blank of the configuration shown in Fig. 3: The anchor comprises a body portion 10, cut away as indicated at 11, to provide a recess for receiving the base portion 12 of arail, a tie-abutting portion 13 e5 adapted to bear, adjacent one edge of the ra1l base., agamst one of the vertical faces of a cross-131e 14, and a. spring tongue portion 15 which projects over one edge of therail base and bears against the upper surface thereof. The configuration of the recess 11 provides a jaw portion having a vertical ed e 16 for j engagingone of the base flanges o the rail and an angularly disposed lip 17 Awhich extends towards the tie 14 and bea-rs against 75 the upper surface' of said base flange. The

vertical edge 18 of the other end of the recess 11 provides means for engaging the vertical surface of the other base flange of the rail.

The distance between the vertical edges 16 80 and 18 of the recess 11 is, preferably, sui-y cient to permitthe anchor to be applied to y rails t-he base flanges of which, due to the wearing away of the rolls with which they are made, are slightly wider than the bases vertical edges 16 and 18 of the recess 11 without making the application of the anchor more dillicult, and without sacrificing In order to 4minimize the distance between the the desired strength of the spring tongue 15 95V adjacent the'edge 18, the edge 18 of the recess is preferably tapered outwardly, as shown at v 19, from a point adjacent'.l the upper edge of the rail base,'so as lto provide the necessaryclearance to permit the edges 16, 18 to be en- 100 gagedwi-th the rail base. The tie-abutting portion is formed by bending the blank on lines 20, 21, to a positionl' substantially as shown in Fig. 1. When properly bent, the

post portion 22 ofthe tie abutment will be 105 straight and converge with the edge of th'e rail in a direction toward the tie and the tie abutting foot 23 will project under the raill base and engage with the tie at alpoint near ythe edge of'the rail base when the anchor is 110 I lio gagement with the tie to a point adjacent the' edge of the rail base, thereby providing a relatively wide bearing surface, and at the same time avoiding contact with the tie at points, for example, near the center ot the rail, likely to resist the tendency ci the anchor to assume a slight diagonal position across the rail base during the presence ot a creeping pressure.

'llhe spring tongue portion 15 is bent on line 25 of the blank tov project toward the tie 14, and stands at an angle to the body portion, so that the distance between the vertical edge 16 oit the jaw ortion 26 and the end 27 oi the tongue will normally be less than the width ot the rail base to which the anchor is to be applied. lf he lower edge 28 oit the tongue is formed with a taper which, when the tongue is bent to the position shown in lFig. 1 and the anchor applied to a perfectly formed rail, will correspond to the inclination oit the upper surface ot the rail. base and bear against said surface, preferably, though not necessarily, troni substantially the point 29 on the base to the end ot the tongue.

' llt will be apparent, however, that the anchor can be applied to liinpei'fectly formed rails, or rails having base danges of ditlerent contours, andriaintain a firm hold thereon by the tongu engaging the edge of the base at the point 29 only, or the anchor may be so formed, for example as shown in lFigs. t, 5 and 6, as to bear against the u per surface of the base at the end only o the tongue. The upper edge ot the tongue is tapered downwardly toward its end, pret erably on a straight line, to provide a cani surface 30 which Jfacilitates the application of thev device to the rail by forcing the tongue portion outwardly from the edge ot the rail base when this end oit the anchor is elevated until it clears the upper edge thereof, whereupon it will snap 'over the upper surface ot the base.

ln applying the anchor to a rail, -the jawI portion 26 is hooked over one edge ot a rail` base with the tie-abutting toot 23 adjacent the tie ld. lin this'position the end of the spring tongue 15 extends under the rail base and the anchor assumes a general position substantially as shown in dot and dash lines in lFig. l. The tongue end of the anchor may then be elevated by the use of a suitg able implement (not shown) to bring the l`yertical shoulder or jaw 18 of the' recess ll in engagement with the edge of the rail inea-,eee

base. The inclined edge 30 oli the tongue i hears against the edge oil the rail and tuner tions as a cam 'to torce the tongue outwardly until the tongue clears the upper edge or the rail base, whereupon it will spring 'over edge oit the rail base and exert a lateral spring pressure against the inclined surface thereof. ln addition to the lateral pressure oit the tongue on the rail base, e vertical pressure is produced by reason o" e tortional strain to which the body oit the anu chor is subjected during the application of the device. When the anchor is applied to its initial position, it will normally be at angle to the length ot the rail, as shown in the dot and dash lines, troni. which posi= tion it may be driven to its operative posic to assisting in supporting the tie abutting footin its proper positionyresists any tenea ency that the .vertical chatting movement of the tie-abutting toot against the tie may have to rock theanchor on a horizontal axis, and by such reciting movement impart excessive tortional strain 'to the body pora tion ot the anchor.

ln Figs, d to 6 inclusive, l have shown modified construction in which1 the overhangng lip 3l of' the jiavv/` ortion 26n stead ot being disposed at an angle, as shown in Figs. l and 2, is parallel with the body portion ot the anchor. The lower edge 32 of the spring tongue l5 is preferably so termed that, when the ton ue is bent to its angular position, its end on y will engage the upper ,surface ot the rail base. lln other respects, this construction may be the saine as that shown in Figs. l to 3, inclusive.,

ln Figs.- 7 and 8 ll have shown another modification in'which the recess il", adiacent the jaw portion 26", is so torined that the vertical edge ldloi2 the jaw does not con= Vtact with the vertical edge ot the rail base.

lin this construction lthe lip lil ot the jaw be formed with a taper corresponding tothe inclination ot the upper surface of the rail rbase,'or it may be formed substantially shown in Fig. 5;, so as to bear at itsouter end only against the. upper surface ot the 'rail base. 'llhis term ot anchor, when in :its preterred operative position, will normally stand at right angles to the length ot the applicationand described and claimed in 575,252 filed Ju1y 15, 1922.

my copending application Serial No.

I claim: 1'. A one-piece rail anchor comprising a rail base embracing member formed at one end with a jaw for engaging vone edge of a comprising a post which converges with the rail base, and with a tie-abutting portion, comprising a substantially straight post portion which converges with the edge of the rail base in a direction-toward a tie and terminates in an angularly disposed flange adapted to bear against said tie, and formed at the other end with a shoulder for engaging the other edge of a rail base and with 'a spring tongue adapted to bear against the upper surface of said base.

2. A one-piece rail anchor comprising a rail-base embracing member formed at one end with a jaw for engaging one edge of a rail base and with a. tie-abutting portion edge of the rail base in a direction toward the tie and terminates in an angularly disposed flange having'akcurved surface so as to confine its engagement with the tie to a point near the edge of the rail and formed at the other end with a shoulder for engaging the other edge of the rail base, and with a spring tongue adapted to bear against the upper surface of said base.

3. A one-piece rail nchor comprising a body portion formed at one end with a jaw having an angularly disposed lip adapted to bear against the upper surface of the rail base and having a tie-abutting foot, the upper edge of which is adapted to engage the,

under surface of said lrail base, and formed at the other end with ashoulder for engaging the other edge of the rail base, and terminating in an angularly disposed spring tongue extending toward the tie against which the anchor abuts and bearing against the upper surface of said base; said tongue -being formed so that the distance between its end and said 'jaw is normally less than the width of the rail base to which it is to be applied and adapted to be forced outwardly duringl the application of the anchor to a rail.

4. A one-piece rail anchor comprising a body portion formed 'at one end with a jaw having a lip adapted to bear against the upper surface of the rail base and with a tie abutment formed-to project under the rail and bear against the tie adjacent one edge of the rail base, and formed at the'other end with a shoulder for engaging the other edge of the rail base and with an angularly disposed spring tongue adapted to bear against the upper surface of said base; said spring tongue being formed so that the distance between its end and said jaw is normally less than the Width of the rail base to which it is applied and adapted 'to be strained in its applied position so as to exert a slight tortional strain to said body portion; said lip being angularly disposed with relation to said body portion vso as to resist the tendency of rockln movements of the tie-abutting portion su Jecting said body portion to .f

excessive tortional strains.

5. A one-piece rail anchor device comprising a rail base embracing member ormed-at one end with a jaw for engaging one edge of a rail, and with a tie abutment adapted to bear against a' cross-tie, and formed at the other end with a shoulder for engaging the opposite edge of said rail andwith a tongue adapted to snap over the upper surface of the rail base, so as to exert a slight tortional strain on said body portion; said jaw being formed with an angularly dis osed lip adapted ito resist downward roc ing movements of 'the tie-abutting portion.

6. A one-piece rail anchor comprising a body formed at one end with a jaw having a lip adapted to engage the upper surface of the rail base at one edge thereof and with a forwardly projecting portion providing a tie abutment and formed at ,the other end with a shoulder for engaging the opposite edge of the .rail base, and with a spring tongue adapted to snap over the upper edge thereof; said lip being formedto project toward the tie to resist the tendency of said tielabutment to rock downwardly from the ral 7. A one-piece rail anchor com rising a body portion formed with a jaw an a shoulder for engaging the opposite edges of a rail base and bent at one end 'to provide a tie abutment adapted to engage a tie adjacent one edge of the rail and formed at the other end with a spring tongue adapted to snap over and bear against the u per surwhereby said spring tongue will bear with lface of the opposite edge of said ase; the

` said faongue. tongue being mmd with n. straight, down s rin nessun@ a nains@ said un @n snrnce nda ltdl. n@ new n on ne Minnen snrnoe En k LN rom the @dgn of sniL base im ich@ @nd said mik base; the upper @dgn 9. Amil anchor compnising n mil has@ Wardy tapering surface providing n embracing member formed with n jaw and Smnce ndapmed no haar against ich@ edge n shoulder for engnging'nlupos edges of said mil has@ and fonce the ongn@ @un E5 smid mil, and formed an, one end Winn n tie Wnrdly during the npplcanon nh@ andan? nbnfsmenlt and at fone ohen end with n spring mil@ ltnngne which amends dngnnaly ncmss and f CHARLES F, YARDLEY., 

